Trans Fat (file under the winds of change)

We live in a time of massive change on multiple levels. Many have no idea what Trans Fat is and why it is both an issue and important. For a good Trans Fat primer go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat .

I bring this up because I believe that slowly but surely the winds of change are sweeping away the use of Trans Fat, at first voluntarily and now through both consumer demand and regulation. I, as almost every other food provider, am guilty of using Trans Fats in cooking (primarily in the fat fryer) and am proud to let you know that we have no switched over to a Trans Fat reduced product.

As many of you may or may not be aware there is a movement in the United States http://www.bantransfats.com/ to completely ban trans fat, which to my point of view, is a VERY good thing, not to mention necessary. Cities, towns and even states are moving to ban or reduce the level of trans fat in our food, notably, New York City and more recently California. It has come to my attention that the City of Toronto is asking food service providers to voluntarily reduce or completely remove trans fat from menus. A voluntary ban in my experience eventually leads to regulation which requires it. But it is important to note that food giant are paying attention and responding to consumer demands, such as is the case with Kraft Foods (http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/HealthyLiving/Articles/NutritionBasics/TransFatUpdate.html ).

If you check out the two sources that I have provided you will see that this is an issue that is going to become very prominent in the next few years. I feel that the most important thing that we can do as consumers is to be educated so that we can make our own decisions. For me personally I would like to see the use of Trans Fat banned completely as one of the controllable factors of poor health in North America. But you let me know.

The World Health Organization states in “WHO global strategy on diet, physical activity and health: South-East Asia regional consultation meeting report, New Delhi, India, 10- 12 March 2003” that; “Multiple studies have corroborated that trans-fatty acids are probably one of the most dangerous elements in the diet for atherosclerotic risk, as they have a combined effect of increasing LDL cholesterol and decreasing protective HDL. Deep-fried fast foods and baked goods containing hydrogenated fats are major sources."

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

SDM